From 1953 to 1973, the CIA carried out a massive operation, the ripples of which are still felt today and the extent of which is, frankly, unthinkable. Coming as a reaction to the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War 2, MK Ultra contained over 100 subprojects which took in drug smuggling and drug testing plus unethical and illegal human experimentation, both on military personnel and civilians.

These are the stories of Frank Olson, of Harold Blauer and of Lana Ponting plus many more, of the hypocrisy of a psychiatrist so terrified of the Nazis he adopted their methods to prevent them from happening again, the lack of scruples in certain CIA personnel as they tortured American citizens and of the shameful lengths they would go to in order to cover it up.

This is the story of how evil, despite what you may want to hear, isn't always at a safe distance...

______

If you're new to Mystery on the Rocks, hosted by award-winning comedians Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner, the podcast is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails! The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them.

The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...

This is a specially edited, bumper omnibus re-edit supercut of our entire MK Ultra series. Exclusive extended, ad-free versions of each 'chapter' with bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!

Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!

You can follow us on Bluesky and Instagram too!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our MK Ultra series comes to a close with a look at ongoing court cases, alleged subjects and attempts to seek justice over the years.

While justice is yet to be served, could a current court case offer some light at the end of the tunnel?

______

An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 15 minutes of bonus extra chat about stuff such as the Great Storm of 1987, Cora vs Reddit, Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary and gaming advancements of the 1990s and more can be found over at our Patreon!

Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!

Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...

You can follow us on Bluesky and Instagram too!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1973, director of the CIA Richard Helms orders all records of MKUltra destroyed and the project is wound down. Nonetheless, thanks to a report by the New York Times, a couple of years later some of what the CIA got up to came to light, kickstarting a slow trickle of information being exposed to the public...

But what is the Mosaic Effect and how does it stand in the way of justice?

______

An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 10 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!

Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!

Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...

You can follow us on Bluesky and Instagram too!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.